On a non-descript city street, about a block up from the original old University of Barcelona, sits a tapas restaurant called La Flauta. When I lived in Barcelona as a college student, most of my classes were held in the old university, established in 1450 and rebuilt then reopened in 1871. I would make my way up the broad steps and through the large doors to a flowering courtyard surrounded by stone arches and then go up the wide stone staircase to reach the huge high-ceilinged classroom where I took notes on the professor’s lecture on Spanish literature. After class, students and professors would congregate at the café across the street to share a cajarillo (an espresso laced with brandy), smoke up a storm and delve into deep discussions about life.
When I returned to visit Barcelona recently with my partner, we retraced my steps as a student, then looked for a place close by to have lunch. That’s how we discovered La Flauta. With a few tables lined up on the sidewalk and an unobtrusive entrance, it’s the counter that you walk by as you go in that catches your attention. Filled with seafood and fresh produce, it houses the ingredients and pieces that might go into your meal. Based on the very Spanish tradition of tapas, small bites of food that you eat to tide you over until a very late supper (9 p.m.), it also serves flautas, a variety of narrow sandwiches served on crusty bread along with fresh salads and some delicious desserts.
Our host takes us upstairs to the second floor where mostly occupied wooden tables fill the room. Up here, there’s a view onto the street. As we order our drinks, we peruse the menu. So many choices, so much good food. We opt for their house salad with oranges and jamón, then add some of our favorite tapas. As we discuss our plans for later today, we are surrounded with conversation. People are here to eat but also to socialize. It reminds me of the Spanish saying, “How many words are there in this bottle of wine?”
For dessert, Jim chooses the traditional Crema Catalana, a delicious custard, and I opt for the house’s special, Bread, Chocolate, Oil and Salt. The latter is a piece of toasted bread with a dollop of rich creamy chocolate mousse, a glug of olive oil and coarse salt sprinkled on top. Delicious!
Just this week, we were craving some of those tapas so we fired up the outdoor oven in our backyard and cooked six different tapas. I also made some lightly orange flavored custard for dessert. Next time, I’ll need to make that chocolate dessert. Here’s the recipe for the saffron meatballs we made.
Saffron Meatballs
To make the meatballs:
1 pound ground beef
2 slices of bacon, chopped
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large egg, beaten
1 slice bread, soaked in milk and squeezed dry
½ t. sea salt
½ t. freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 425° F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix ground beef, bacon, parsley, garlic, egg, bread, salt and pepper in medium bowl. Mix well and shape meat mixture into 1 ½ inch meatballs. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until no longer red in the middle.
For the saffron sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 t. flour
1 t. smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 T. dry white wine
2 pinches saffron threads, crumbled
While the meatballs cook, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add flour. Then, add paprika, broth, wine, saffron and 1/4 cup of parsley. When the meatballs are done, add them to the skillet and cook, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the meatballs are done. Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed.